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The first order of business on Bryan Colangelo's off-season to-do list is to remove the interim label from Jay Triano.

And the sooner, the better.

In a season, which mercifully ends tonight in Chicago, of embarrassing losses and failed expectations, one of the few highlights among the many lowlights has been Triano's ability to coach.

From the moment he replaced Sam Mitchell in the ugly aftermath of a 132-93 road loss to the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 2, Triano has been put in the most awkward of positions, trying to give players minutes whose confidence had been eroded under Mitchell's watch, while at the same time prove his worth on the game's biggest stage.

Triano has been a work in progress whose efforts can't be solely judged on the Raptors' won/loss record.

If the only measuring stick was winning games, no way Triano comes back.

But the hand he has been dealt, and the political tightrope he has been forced to walk, cannot be measured.

How one judges Triano is the way the Raptors respond following a timeout, what adjustments are made in game and the necessary tweaking when facing an opponent the next time following a loss.

Triano has handled quite nicely the many challenges he inherited and the inherent problems of dealing with a flawed roster that is thin on talent, inexperienced, soft, lacking in basketball I.Q. and generally ill equipped to win on a consistent basis.

Triano has shown that he can coach at the NBA level and that he should be named full-time head coach. What he can't do falls on the shoulders of Colangelo, who has to go out and acquire a wing player who can create his own shot and create for others.

What Colangelo has to do is sign a veteran backup to Jose Calderon and forget this notion that Roko Ukic can play at the NBA level.

Anthony Parker is a very nice person and he gives it his all each time he steps on to the court, but he's not a starter.

What Colangelo has to do is bring in a veteran big who won't ask for touches.

Rasho Nesterovic is a free agent this summer.

Nesterovic, if you recall, was dealt to Indiana in a package that fetched Jermaine O'Neal.

In retrospect, the trade was an unmitigated disaster for the Raptors and a harbinger of the train wreck that characterized the 2008-09 season.

Once Colangelo allows Triano to do his job, it'll free Colangelo to do his, no small task given the many deficienciess that must be addressed. Political correctness rules at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, even though the correct thing is to make Triano the team's full-time head coach.

Why do a coaching search when the best candidate is readily available?

Give Triano complete autonomy to name his assistants, to dole out minutes, to criticize players when necessary, to help change a culture that is mentally soft. One of the most damning numbers associated with these Raptors, outside of their 32-49 record, is the team's inability to come back. Monday's 97-96 win over the Wizards marked only fifth time in which the Raptors won a game when trailing after three quarters, which speaks to the team's lack of depth.

How many times did the Raptors yield a bucket late in a quarter because a player had no clue about time and situation?

A difficult off-season awaits Colangelo, whose future in Toronto hinges on his ability to re-do the team.

What shouldn't be difficult is to make Triano the Raptors head coach and give him the proper authority NBA coaches require. With complete control, Triano will be able to challenge Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani.